Saturday, August 9, 2014

Media: Entertainment - Saved By Netflix?

(Drivebycuriosity) - There is much lamentation that the Internet is reducing the quality of entertainment. Indeed, the deluge of selfies, cat & dog videos on YouTube, Facebook and other sides seem to support these claims. But there are also signs of hope.

The online service Netflix started streaming all 4 series of "The Killing", including the final 4 episodes. The sinister detective series (adapted and Americanized from the Danish crime show, "Forbrydelsen") was endangered (wikipedia). The complicated, twisted and dark plot didn´t find much love from the TV audience, at least from the majority. Maybe "The Killing" was too ambitious for the average TV watcher. Falling ratings induced AMC, the producer, to cancel the show after the 2nd season. But production resurrected because the TV channel Fox together with Netflix showed some interest, and the online company invested some money into the show. Ratings stayed bad and AMC killed "The Killing" on their network after series 3. Then Netflix approached as the savior of the quality show and produced series 4 with the final episodes.

This is not surprising. Netflix, and the Internet in general, reaches a much larger audience than any TV channel can do. While the TV networks usually focus on the majority which has rarely a good taste (selfies, cat & dog videos!) Internet producers can afford to produce quality programs for minorities. Helpful is the fact the Internet shows can be down streamed 24/7 and are therefore more comfortable to consume.

Internet also raises competition (driveby). Traditional producers of quality TV like HBO, AMC, FX and others are getting more and more challenged by Netflix, Amazon.com and other online content providers who produce their own shows like "House of Cards". Competition is always good for consumers because producers have to be better than their competitors or at least as good as them to stay in business.

I think we can expect more quality TV like "The Killing" on Netflix, Amazon and other Online networks in the coming years. Enjoy.

I am an economist and write about things that interest me through the lens of an economist: Books, art galleries, movies, economics, science fiction, heavy metal, stock market, museums, traveling, street art and much more